Cleveland Browns: Austin Pasztor Put in Position to Fail

Cody Parkey and Austin Pasztor will largely be blamed for the Cleveland Browns loss to the Miami Dolphins, but it all should come back to the coaching staff

Let’s get this out of the way: despite all of the criticisms upcoming, the Cleveland Browns win their Week 3 matchup if Cody Parkey hits the field goal at the end of regulation. Parkey, signed Friday to replace injured kicker Patrick Murray, hit on just two of his five field goal attempts in the game. The most devastating was the final one he pushed to the left that sent the game to overtime. In what is likely to be his first and only game as a Brown, Parkey was nothing short of a disaster.

Beyond Parkey, Browns right tackle Austin Pasztor was flagged five times in the Week 3 loss to the Miami Dolphins—two false starts and three holding calls, all three of which were on passing plays. Pasztor has to eat it when it comes to the false starts, though it stands to reason he was trying to get a head start in pass protection. The holding calls are on Pasztor, but it’s better to have him hold and possibly get caught than let the third quarterback in as many weeks get killed.

Focusing on just this game, the play calling from Hue Jackson deserves a ton of the blame. The reason is simple. Pasztor is a guard playing tackle due to a lack of options currently. He is an effective run blocker, but struggles in pass protection when he has to work in space. This is not a new development and teams are trying to exploit it at every opportunity.

By insisting on throwing the ball so much, even with a rookie third-round pick at quarterback in Cody Kessler, the Browns became too predictable and ended up in too many long down-and-distance situations. The result is the Dolphins’ pass rush was able to pin their ears back, go full bore after Kessler, and get Pasztor at his most vulnerable. Rather than let Kessler get mauled, he grabbed on to opposing pass rushers and hoped the refs wouldn’t call it. They did three times. It’s all he could do to try to survive.

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It’s on the coach to know to play to a team’s strengths and work to hide their weaknesses. Pasztor is an effective run blocker and the Browns ran the ball well. But as happened last week, Jackson went away from a successful running game when it wasn’t necessary.

Despite averaging 5.92 yards per carry to the combination of Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell, they received just 25 carries for 148 yards. That’s compared to 36 pass plays from Kessler, including three sacks. Once again, that sack number likely falls with better play-calling.

The same running game that Jackson deserves credit for helping establish is underutilized. In previous years, the Browns couldn’t run the ball because it was simply ineffective and unreliable. Now a viable option, it’s not used enough, especially in critical situations.

Kessler was third string coming into the season. Both the quarterbacks ahead of him were on the sideline in slings for the game. If there was ever a time to rely heavily on the running game, it was this week against the 30th ranked Dolphins’ run defense. It would’ve helped the pass protection be more effective, making the defense honest and worried about the run. Moreover, it would’ve put Kessler in better situations to succeed when he did pass.

On more obvious pass situations, it seemed imperative that the play calling minimize Pasztor’s pass protection responsibilities or at least to give him help. Despite the penalties and breakdowns, the Browns did little to do so. The Browns largely left him on an island, sending the message to muddle through it. Jackson’s unwillingness to address the issue suggests he’s willing to live with the results—a calculated risk on his part.

Both the unwillingness to run the football and gambling on Pasztor on an island proved costly on the Browns’ lone possession in overtime. After running the ball with Johnson for nine yards on first down, Jackson called five pass plays in a row: an incomplete pass, a nine yard gain to Terrelle Pryor for a first down, a sack, a holding penalty (on Pasztor), and another incomplete pass. This set up third-and-28, where they finally ran again to get a few yards before punting.

Some of the ways Hue Jackson tries to be innovative with formations and play calls can be creative. When it comes at the expense of logical strategy, it comes off as being “too cute.” This has been the case with Jackson so far in his time with the Browns.

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Running plays that gain three-to-five yards aren’t sexy or creative, but they are prudent and effective. The big, impressive pass plays are what tend to be cited when it comes to intelligent play-calling. Whether an issue of ego, boredom, or an unwillingness to trust his running game, Jackson ends sacrificing practicality at times. That has at least contributed to losses in each of the past two weeks.

To his credit, while Kessler had his share of awful plays, he made a number of great ones too. Overall, he had a pretty solid debut, going 21-of-33 for 244 yards with a fumble lost. He did enough to put the team in position to win the game, which is pretty good (far better than I expected). Nevertheless, it is curious for a head coach to put so much on rookie and former third string quarterback in their first start rather than utilize an effective running game against a defense that has struggle defending it.

Sep 25, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler (6) attempts a pass against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium.The Miami Dolphins defeat the Cleveland Browns 34-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

On a larger scale, the Browns could have avoided Pasztor playing right tackle in the offseason. This goes back to the decision not to retain Mitchell Schwartz. Obviously, the Browns could have worked out the long term deal. But they also could have ensured he’d be here this season with the franchise tag for one year. Expensive, but practical.

This would’ve allowed the Browns to take their time with Shon Coleman, the rookie third rounder who was picked to be the eventual right tackle. It also would’ve meant the Browns could have had Pasztor be a backup or compete for the starting right guard spot. In either case, the pass protection would have been substantially better this year.

Now, it’s unfair to put the plight of the quarterback position entirely on Pasztor. But it’s not difficult to believe the Browns wouldn’t be better at right tackle with Schwartz this year than Pasztor, especially in the passing game.

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The Browns currently have $48 million in cap space. Keeping Schwartz would have cost them about $13 million for one year. Rollover rules would give the Browns $96 million in cap space in the offseason, assuming they don’t add any new contracts. Schwartz for a year would drop that number to $70 million; a difference in $26 million.

That is a substantial amount of money. However, that assumes the Browns will be able to spend all of it (wisely one would hope) in the one offseason. The Browns have youth and a new vibe with Hue Jackson and a new front office. However, it’s difficult to ignore them being on their third quarterback in as many weeks and 0-3.

If spending that money on Schwartz would work to make the organization as a whole more attractive and more functional, it might do more to help keep players they want to retain and attract premier free agents they hope to acquire than bare cap on its own. In the meantime, the Browns have to roll with Pasztor until Coleman is ready, unless they want to put Spencer Drango in there or sign a free agent off the street. If they stick with Pasztor, then they have plan around that problem. That’s on the coaching staff. If not, go with someone else.

The idea of blaming a player with a weakness for being put in position to have it exploited is misguided. That blame goes to the person who put him in position fail: Jackson.

Certainly, Pasztor had a day to forget and likely no one is unhappier with his play than he is. But it can’t be a surprise to anyone that he struggled in space. That’s who he is as a player. It’s on Hue Jackson to put his team in position to succeed and when it came to Pasztor this week, he fell short. Even if Parkey makes the final kick and the Browns win, this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

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